To Tackle Coronavirus, J&K Converts Maternity Hospital Into Isolation Ward

Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday converted a maternity centre into an isolation ward for suspected Coronavirus patients. The government has instructed officers of health institutions to remain alert and keep their isolation wards ready to quarantine the affected persons, if any, across the valley. The isolation hospitals will be established away from the congested areas, the government said.

According to a government spokesperson, J&K Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam has directed officials to set up check points at railway stations, airports, bus stands and different entry points into J&K (Lakhanpur) for screening of passengers for coronavirus. “He emphasized the need to educate people about symptoms of coronavirus and the precautionary measures regarding it. He asked the concerned officials to check whether any passenger is travelling from J&K to coronavirus affected countries,” the spokesman said.

The Chief Secretary has directed that arrangements should be made to ensure that if any person shows symptoms of the virus during screening, then the victim would be kept in the hospital.

Divisional Commissioner, Baseer Ahmad Khan, visited the maternity centre at Sanat Nagar which has been converted into an isolation hospital. Khan inspected various wards of the hospital including the microbiology lab to review the arrangements made for treatment of the disease. He directed the health authorities to deploy additional dedicated staff at the isolation hospital so that affected patients, if any, get hassle-free treatment. He also directed the officials to make sure that passengers showing symptoms of Coronavirus are immediately quarantined and details be shared with the higher authorities on hourly basis.

As a precautionary measure, daily surveillance of respiratory tract infection cases, including the Out Patient Department (OPD) in ten districts, is going on. Rapid Response Teams (RRT) are in place in every district and various samples are being collected and analysed. Besides, cluster cases are also being investigated. The government says situation is under control and health institutions are ready to combat any exigency.

An Italian tourist and his wife on Tuesday tested positive for coronavirus in Jaipur, taking the total number of confirmed cases in India to six.

Globally, the virus has killed more than 3,100 people and infected over 90,000 even as a clear shift in the crisis emerges, with nine times as many new cases recorded outside China as inside, according to the World Health Organization.